Matrix magazine for linecasting machines



Nov. 12, 1963 INVENTOR. WALTER E. KERSCHBAUM BY %2a% ATTORNE Y Nov. 12,1963 w, E. KERSCHBAUM MATRIX MAGAZINE FOR LINECASTING MACE-IINES FiledFeb; 14, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. WALTER E. KERSCHBAUM 'tranceof matrices into the magazine.

United States Patent O 3,11%,395 MATRDK MAGAZINE FR LENECASTMG MACEEJESWalter E. Kerschbaum, Welshero, 1a., assignor to l. e

genthaler Linotype Company, a corporation of New York Fiied Feb. 14,1962, Set. Na. 173,264 4 Clairns. (CH. 199-44) This invention relates tolinecasting machines wherein matn'ces, stored end to end in a channeledmagazine, are released therefrom by suitably aotuated escapernentdevices and then composed side by side in line. After composition, thematrix line is transferred to the face of a slotted mold, the moldfilled with molten me-tal to form a slug against the matrices Whichproduce type characters thereon, and the matrices thereafter retumed bya distributing mechanism to the magazine from Which they started.

The magazines as now used in commercial machines, being made largely ofbrass or even of aluminum plates With steel bracing bars, are quiteheavy and difficult to handle in their applioation to and removal fromthe machine. In addition, they a1e complex assemblies comprising a greatmany parts and subassemblies Which cou- -tribute to the relatively highmanufacturing cost of magazmes.

lt is, therefore, the object of this invention to substantially 1'educethe Weight of such magazines. lt is a further object of the invention tosimplify the manufacture of the magazines so as to lessen the costthereof. It is another object of the invention to provide an improvedescap ement cover and locking bar mechanism.

In carrying out the invention there is provided a magazine havinggrooved top and bottom plates formed of alu-minum reenforced With crossbars and a longitudinal bar also forrned of alnnn'num. Moreover, thegrooved top plate has been -lengthened so as to obviate the neecl for agrooved escapement cover. The escapernent cover assembly has beenmodified so that the matt-1x locking bar in addition to blocking thematnices in the magazine also pushes the matrices up and away from theverge plungers.

Features and advantages of the invention may be gained from theforegoing and trom the follo-wing description of a preferred embodimentthereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view f a matrix magazine for a linecasting machine;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary seetion taken on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the magazine;

FIG. 4 a's a fragmentary top view of a magazine showing particularly theescapement cover and matrix locking bar;

FIG. 5 is a freut elevational view of the magazine showing detafls ofthe escapement cover and matrix locking bar;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side view showing the escapement cover andmatrix locking bar;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken 0n line 77 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 88 of FIG. 3,

The magazine shown in the drawings comprises a top plate 10, a bottomplate 11, and side bars 12 extending len-gthwise of the magazine andserving to separate the top and the bottom plates. The upper end of themagezine (as. shown in FIG. l) is open to permit the en- On their innerfaces, the plates 113 and 11 -are formed with longitudinally extendinggrooves 13 wh-erein the customary projecting ears of the matrices engageand whereby the matrices, e.g., matrix 9, are guided in their passagethrough the magazine. The top and the bottom plates are made of aluminumand are anodized so that they do not exhibit undue wear from the slidingmatrices With Which they come in contact. The side bars 12 also are madeof aluminum. A cover 14, hinged on studs 15, is provided for olosing theend of the magazine when it is not in use. In this way d-i1t andparticles a1e prevented from settling in the magazine and interferingwith the movement of the matrices in their grooves.

A matrix guard 16 has a plurality of tines 17 projecting from a backingstrip 20. The guard is =arranged so that the tines 17 extend throughapertures 21 formed in top plate 19. The funotion of the guard is toprevent the sidewise entranoe of matrices into the magazine. In otherwords, the matrices can only enter the magazine if they are upn'ght andtheir projecting ears are aligned With the plate grooves 13. The guardis formed of a one piece stamping as compared to the past praotice ofassernbling it ifrorn a backing strip with individual mounted thereon.

On the underside of the magazine, the bottom plate is provided With anumber of cross bars, one 22 near the upper end, one 23 near the lowerend, and three intermediate ones 24, 25 and 26, which several bars arefastened Io the magazine structure by means of bo1ts 27 passing throughtop plate 10, side bars 12, bottom plate 11 and the cross barsthemselves. The cross bar 24 is extended at its opposite ends beyond theside edges of the magazine to serve as a support for the magazine inappflying ait to or removing rit from the machine, all as wellnnderstood in the art. A longitudinal central bar 30 is fixed to thecross bars to aid in guiding the magazine to and froan its seat in themagazine fra-me of the machdne;

Both the cross bars and the central bar a1e made of aluminum.

At the lower extrem1ity of the magazine an additional pair of aluminumtrapezoidal shaped bars are secured to the side bars 12. These bars, endbar 31 and intermediate bar 32, serve to locate the magazine, Whenplaced in the maohine, with a'espect to the escapement mechanism 33permanently mounted in the machine and shown in phantorn section inFIGS. 7 and 8. The upper surfaces of the bars are grooved so that thematrices are guided until they leave the magazine. The bars will belocated by pins 34 and 35 so that the grooves therein are aligned Withthe grooves of bottom plate 11. A bolt 36 passing through side bar 12(as well as one passing through the other side bar) secures bar 32 t0the magazine. Similarly bolt 37 secures bar 31 to the magazine.

An escapement eover 40 is shown fastened to the top plate 10 of themagazine by a bolt 41 which passes through plate 10 in to side bar 12.It Will be observed chat top plate 10 extends nearer 10 the end of themagazine than bottom plate 11. In this manner the grooves of the topplate se11ve to guide the matrices substanhially to their exit -from themagazine and the need for a grooved escapement cover is obviated. Infact, the present invention contempl-ates an extruded aluminum cover.The forward edge of the escapement cover is secured to the magazine bybolt 37 whioh passes thorethrough in securing bar 31 to the magazine.Filler pieces. 42, which are only as wide .as the side bars 12, areplaced between cover 413 and side bars 12.

The cover 40 serves as a housing for the matrix loeking bar 43 whichblocks the matrices in the magazine when it is removed from theinecasting machine. When the magazine is in use, the bar is elevated outof the path of the matrix ea.rs and the matrices are held in themagazine until their selected re=lease therefrom by the p-awls 44 of theescapement verges. The pawls are shown in dotted line but their functionand operation are well known to those skilled in the art. However, whena mag-azine is to be removed from the machine the pawls, wh ich are partof the escapement mechanism that remains 011 the machine, no longer canhold the matrices in the magazine and it is necessary to move lockingbar 43 into position to block exit cf the matrices. 'Ihis again is awell known requirement.

The present locking bar is providecl with a pair of dowels 45 thatproject trom the bar and extend through elongated slots 46 provided inescapement cover 40. The arrangement is such that as the bar moves fromleft to right it is elevated out of fuhe path of t=l1e matnices. Also,by virtue of the recesses 47 forrned in the front edge of the bar andabutments 48 placed on the inside of cover 40 the bar moves forwardly tothe right in FIGS. 7 and 8) under the weight of the matrices as it movesfrom 1eft to n'ght. Conversely, as the bar moves from right 10 left asit would when fihe matrices are being locked therecln preparatory to themagazine being removed from the mchine, the bar descends I a positionblocking the ears of the matrices. At the same time as the recesses 47move out of engagement with abutn1ents 48 the matrices are moved awayfrom the escapement pawls 44. Thus when a magazine is replaced on amaohine Ihere is 110 danger of the matrices damaging the escapementpawls when the magazine is bedng seated.

T0 prevent an inadvertent movement of the locking bar to :a matrixunblocking position a latch mechanism is provided. This means that aconscious eifort has to be made to rnove the bar from left to r-ight.The latching mechanism ds shown in FIG. 4. A pin 543 projecting irom thetop of bar 43 cooperates With the irregularly shaped slot 51 of latch52. The latch is formed at the end of one arm of U-spring 53, the otherarm of Which is secured to the top of cover 40 by rivets 54. Anupstanding flange 55 011 latch 52 enables the latch to be moved upwardly(FIG. 4) whereupon bar 43 can be moved towards the cright by means 0fthe knob 58 formed on the bar. Bar 43 can be moved to the left wifihoutaotuating latch 52 since such movement only acts to lock the matrices inthe magazine. However, if the locking bar 43 we1'e tobe inadvertentlymoved from a locking position (as shown in FIG. 4) rightwa-rdly to anunlocking osition when the magazine is out of the machine an entire font0f matrices, i.e., upwards of one thousand individual matrices, would bespilled onto the floor. Consequently, a latching mechanism is providedas desoribed.

As a double safety mechanism, the bar 43 cannot be moved to be righteven if latch 42 is =actuated since the bar will still be locked in itsmatrix blocking osition by the engagement of a second latch 56 and dowel45. The second latch 56 is also formed 011 one arm of a U-spring the0111161 arm of which is fastened to the rear of cover 40 by rivets 57.The shape of the slot 60 in latch 56 is such that Ehe bar cannot bemoved rightwardly unless fche latch ds raised. This is accomplished inoperation by the action of plunger 61 which asses through side bar 12.The arrangement is such that When the magazine is seated =in themagazine frame cf a linecasting machine the plunger is engaged by 1;heescapement mechanism and pushed upwardly against the latch, therebyreleasing the latch. New actuation of. latch 56 allo=ws bar 43 to be 4moved rightwardly thus unblocking the matrices to permit their releasefrom 11he magazine under control of the escapement pawls.

It is to be understood that many van'ations and apparent changes couldbe made in ethe preferred ernbodiment disclosecl without departiug fromthe spirit and scope of the invention and therefore it is ntencled thatthe specification and drawing be interpreted in an illustrative ratherthan a limiting sense.

\Vhat is claimed zis:

1. A matn'x magazine -for a linecasting machine Wherein the matrixescapement mechanism is mounted on the machine and cooperates With themagazine when the magazine is placed 011 the machine, said magazinecomprising a top plate and a bottom plate separated by a pair of sidebars and grooved in their adjacent faces to form guiding channels forthe matrices, an intermediate bar and an end bar spaced from the lowerend of the bottom plale and secured 10 the side bars, said bars havinggrooves aligned with the grooves of said bottom plate to guide thematrices, and a matrix blocking means secured to the s1'de bars *at thelower end of said top plate having 1 a manually operated member forlocking tl1e mat-rices in the magazine when the magazine is removed fromthe machine, charactem'zed in that said top plate is longer than saidbottom plate and extends adjacent said intermediate =bar whereby saidtop plate and said intermediate bar support a matrix in upright ositionpnior to its release fro-m the magazine.

2. A matrix magazine for a linecasting machine according to claim 1inoluding a plurality of cross bars and a longitudinal center barsecured to -the bottom plate cf the magazine characterized in that thetop and 12he bottom plates, the side bars, -the intermediate and the endbars, the cross bars and the center bar are all formed of aluminum.

3. A matrix magazine d50r a linecasting machine according to claim 1,wherein the matrix blocking means 1includes an escapement cover secured10 the side bars adjacent the lower end of the top plate of uhemagazine, a matrix locking bar housed by said cover, a first latchingmeans and a second latching means, both 0f which must be actuated beforethe matrix locking bar can be moved 10 an unblocking position,characterized in that each of said latohing means is integral With thefree arm 0f a U-s'haped spring Ihat is secured to the esoapement coverand cooperates with a pin projecting from the locking bar.

4. A matrix magazine for a linecasting machine according to claim 1wherein the matrrlx blocking means inoludes an escapement cover securedto the side bars adjacent 1:he lower end cf the top plate of -themagazine, a matrix locking bar housed by said.cover, and meansresponsive to movement of the locking bar transverse I0 ahe magazine formoving said bar downwardly into a matrix lock.ing position and thenrearwaurdly to move the matrices away from the pawls of the escapementmechanism.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSSperry Dec. 2, 1930 Mead May 2, 1933

1. A MATRIX MAGAZINE FOR A LINECASTING MACHINE WHEREIN THE MATRIXESCAPEMENT MECHANISM IS MOUNTED ON THE MACHINE AND COOPERATES WITH THEMAGAZINE WHEN THE MAGAZINE IS PLACED ON THE MACHINE, SAID MAGAZINECOMPRISING A TOP PLATE AND A BOTTOM PLATE SEPARATED BY A PAIR OF SIDEBARS AND GROOVED IN THEIR ADJACENT FACES TO FORM GUIDING CHANNELS FORTHE MATRICES, AN INTERMEDIATE BAR AND AN END BAR SPACED FROM THE LOWEREND OF THE BOTTOM PLATE AND SECURED TO THE SIDE BARS, SAID BARS HAVINGGROOVES ALIGNED WITH THE GROOVES OF SAID BOTTOM PLATE TO GUIDE THEMATRICES, AND A MATRIX BLOCKING MEANS SECURED TO THE SIDE BARS AT THELOWER END OF SAID TOP PLATE HAVING A MANUALLY OPERATED MEMBER FORLOCKING THE MATRICES IN THE MAGAZINE WHEN THE MAGAZINE IS REMOVED FROMTHE MACHINE, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT SAID TOP PLATE IS LONGER THAN SAIDBOTTOM PLATE AND EXTENDS ADJACENT SAID INTERMEDIATE BAR WHEREBY SAID TOPPLATE AND SAID INTERMEDIATE BAR SUPPORT A MATRIX IN UPRIGHT POSITIONPRIOR TO ITS RELEASE FROM THE MAGAZINE.